O Brother Where Art Thou? was on tv last night. I watched a few minutes of it, inevitably thinking about the parallels between the Depression and now, and found it fitting to share a few simple, affordable pleasures I've been enjoying lately. Now that "affordable" often means "free," I am not stopping by the MAC counter to check out their new foundation formulation, even though it comes in my color (NC15) and seems widely acclaimed on Makeup Alley. Instead, I've been reaching into my stash to use MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Light as my foundation. Given the Natural formulation, there's no glitter or shimmer, just a luminosity on my cheekbones. It gives a good, even finish with medium coverage. It doesn't last all the way through to night, but I don't use it on days I want something permanent. It's more a quick way to get some coverage and get out the door.As an alternative to a t-shirt, I wear a green Pendleton sweater vest under sweaters and jackets. Despite being wool, this is actually a lightweight combination, keeping me warm without overheating. I paid $16 for mine at a consignment store. I was shocked when I saw the retail prices for Pendleton clothes. They're a bit much for unfussy basics. (The above is actually a Woolrich sweater. I couldn't find something close enough to what I own on the Pendleton site.)

Now is not the time to be buying $14 Clinique lipsticks. Instead, I paid $10 apiece for a couple of Colour Surge Bare Brilliance Waterviolet lipsticks at a Cosmetics Company Outlet. Just as well - Clinique's discontinued this color in the Bare Brilliance series.

O Brother is one of my favorite Coen brothers films. I am actually not a Coen brothers fan, despite having seen almost every film they've made. I don't really understand their viewpoint, and I keep watching their films in the hope that I'll get it. I actually do get this one, though, and think it's immensely funny. I'm also impressed with the choice of color palette and how it so clearly evokes both the Great Depression and our own latter day, sepia-toned (mis)conceptions of it.

Cabaret is one of my favorite films, period. There is a quote by Liza Minnelli in which she states everyone goes into Cabaret thinking it's going to be a lighthearted musical and it's not. That's true for me. I expected nothing out of it and ended up being in awe of Fosse's work. Every camera angle, lighting direction, and line progresses the story, and that is a rarity in film. Minnelli also states the message of the film as being, "When everyone's having too much fun, watch out." True again, reminiscent of the 70s, in which the films was made, the 30s, in which it takes place, and now.